Double posts today, so that Nana and Grandma and the aunts and uncles can view the modest celebration here at Chez Martin...

This was probably the best birthday cake I've ever made, and I'm no Martha Stewart, as you can tell by my awful cake decorating skills. Now my Llamie... that is a mama that can decorate a cake!

For the interested, I used this recipe (cake only, not the frosting). I've had it printed off for several months now and glad I finally got around to trying it. I definitely declare it a winner.

The icing however.. I was out of milk and/or cream and unable to make a standard buttercream, so I took a simple "boiled" frosting recipe, and instead of using vanilla to flavor, I obliterated about 3/4 cup of fresh strawberries with my stick blender and added just shy of a half teaspoon of lemon juice. Take the strawberry slurry and place in a metal bowl (or the top of a double boiler), and add 2 egg whites, 1 and a half cups of white granulated sugar, a smidge less than 1 teaspoon of light corn syrup, then zapped it for a few minutes with the stick blender while waiting for water to boil on the stove. Move the metal bowl to the pot of boiling water and use like a double boiler (unless however, you are using a double boiler.. I don't own one!) Cook for about 6 minutes (this is how long it took my stove) the whole while, using a stick blender on the lower speed. If you don't have a stick blender, you can whisk by hand (though it could get tiring) or a regular electric mixer. At this point it should start to form very soft peaks. Remove from heat and continue to whip the heck out of it.. I put it in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer on high and walked away for a few minutes. I came back to perfectly stiff, spreadable peaks.

I kid you not.. this stuff tastes just like Strawberry Fluff! And this is an interesting thing, because my Aunt makes this strawberry fluff desert that my kids LOVE, and which we try to limit because of the red dye in the strawberry flavored Fluff. My kids can handle a sugar high and come down a few hours later. But that red dye high lasts for up to 72 hours! You wouldn't believe how they act on red dye unless you were witness to it. Anyway.. I'm wondering if we can replace the strawberry fluff for this "frosting". Hmm!

So anyway, on to more pictures..

Daddy unfortunately had to rush off to teach class tonight, and we're missing him already. But we have a full evening planned! Alex received two new XBox games for his birthday, so it will be video games 'til bedtime.